Ladd Fortune (19 page)

“
I love you, too. We’ll get
through this,” she whispered fiercely. “You watch and
see.”

Annie nodded. “But will
Casey?”

Per Clem’s instructions, Jeremiah
returned to the jailhouse the next day, nursing a mild hangover
after a night out with the old gang, anxious to discover whether or
not Clem had anything real on Delaney. He said he knew a secret.
Was it possible it was something big?

Waiting at the walled cubicle, Jeremiah
looked around him. A girl sat pressed to the window, as though she
could move through the glass and make out with her man. Another guy
seemed to be talking to his mother. She was upset, he was asking
for money, probably asking the old woman to put her house up for
bond.

As Clem emerged from the back and
ambled up to the window, Jeremiah centered on him. In reality,
there was only one jailbird he was interested in. Yesterday Clem
sounded like he really hated Delaney. It could have something to do
with why he kidnapped her, but Jeremiah had yet to uncover that
dirty little morsel of information. Would it be something he could
use against her? Something that would help him take the property
from her and Felicity? His father had signed over a life estate
deed. Jeremiah didn’t know anything about deeds, life estate or
otherwise. All he knew is that it had to be overturned. A lawyer
pal of his in Atlanta said it was doable. He only needed a
reason.

“
Sweeney,” he said,
impatient to begin.

Clem sat and bent forward, a quick
smile forming on his lips. “So, you still wantin’ to get after
Delaney?”

“
I am.”

“
Okay.” He glanced from side
to side, as though checking for eavesdroppers. As if anybody cared
what Clem Sweeney had to say.

“
What’s the deal?” Jeremiah
asked.

“
Come here,” Clem muttered
harshly. “
Closer
.”

Jeremiah didn’t like anyone barking
orders at him. “Why?”

“
Cause nobody can hear what
I’m about to tell you.”

Jeremiah doubted anything Clem had to
say was that important, but obliged.

“
But before I say a
thing”—his mouth twitched like a rat—“I need to know what’s in it
for me.”

“
Revenge,” Jeremiah replied
evenly. “Isn’t that what you said you wanted?”

“
I want more than revenge. I
want out of jail.” Clem swiped a glance to his side.

“
I don’t even know why
you’re in jail.”

“
A phony kidnapping charge,
that’s why.”

Jeremiah pretended surprise and,
raising a brow, eased away from the window. “I can’t help you with
that, brother.”

“
Yes, you can. You got
money.” Clem eyed the expensive shirt Jeremiah was wearing, looked
at the watch on his wrist. Jeremiah realized he was making an
inventory of his wardrobe. “I need money to make bail.”

“
How much?” Jeremiah
asked.

“
Ten thousand.”

Jeremiah blew out a low whistle.
“That’s a chunk of change.” He pushed his chair back. “Sorry, but I
can’t help you.”

“
Yes, you can. I got a
friend who works as a bondsman. He can help you.”

“
I can’t. I don’t have that
kind of money.”

Clem swept the surroundings with a
guarded look and waggled his finger for Jeremiah to return to the
window.

Growing tired of Clem’s stalling
tactics, Jeremiah leaned over and clipped, “What?”

“
There’s gold in Ladd
Springs.”

“
Gold?”

“
Hush your mouth!” Anger
glinted from muddy brown eyes as he scolded, “You tryin’ to alert
the whole world?”

An anger of his own fired in Jeremiah’s
belly as he glared at Clem. If he was yanking his cord—“What the
hell are you talking about?”

“
I done told you. There’s
gold in the rocks in the woods.”

“
Where?”

Pleasure glinted in Clem’s gaze.
“That’s the part I have to tell you.”

“
Tell me.”

“
First you got to agree to
help me with bail.”

Jeremiah wasn’t sure there was gold,
let alone how much, but he damned well knew he wasn’t going to help
Clem with bail. “Let’s say I’ll help you if there’s enough of this
gold you’re talking about to spare it.”

Clem scowled. “You’re just as greedy as
Delaney.”

“
Except you forgot one
thing. It’s my land.”

Clem eased back into his chair. “Well
then, I ain’t gonna show you where the gold is.”

Jeremiah leaned back in his chair, made
a sweeping glance of the barren visitor’s room and asked, “How are
you going to show me anything?” He rolled his eyes around them and
said, “You’re rotting in jail.”

“
I got friends on the
outside.”

Jeremiah chuckled. Friends. His same
cohorts from high school? Or had Clem upgraded his list of
contacts? He returned to the window and said, “Okay. I’ll help pay
your bail.” Whatever you need to hear, he mused. “Now where’s the
gold?”

Clem hesitated. “You swear?”

“
I swear. Cross my heart,”
he mocked, gesturing across his chest.

“
I’ll have my friend Willie
meet you at Bubba’s Hideaway.”

Jeremiah knew the place well. Bubba’s
Hideaway was a dive in the worst section of town. If you weren’t
looking for trouble, you kept away. It was a reality he knew all
too well. He’d be lucky to get out alive, let alone find Clem’s
pal, Willie. But if there really was gold on the property...
“When?”

“
Today. Noon.”

“
How will I know who he
is?”

Clem smiled, skimming over Jeremiah’s
clothes with a sneer. “He’ll find you.”

“
Okay.” Jeremiah stood. “You
better not be wasting my time.”

Clem rose. “And you better not
double-cross me.”

Chapter Fifteen

At twelve noon on the dot, Malcolm
strolled into the diner, the smell of greasy grilled food
increasing tenfold as he entered. As usual, the restaurant was
packed, the clamor of kitchen activity evident from here. Pleased
to find Lacy ready and waiting, he smiled. Malcolm liked
punctuality in a woman, and liked her in black boots. At least the
way Lacy wore them. Combined with a short blue denim skirt and a
fitted white tank, she was sexy as hell. He could see the outline
of her pink bra beneath the white cotton and chuckled. Either she
had no mirror or the girl had gumption. Both of which suited him
fine and blended perfectly well with his khaki shorts and navy
T-shirt. His hiking boots were a tan pair he’d purchased to get him
through the Brazilian rain forest and Australian
Outback.

Her hand possessively guarding a brown
paper bag, Lacy was a standout among the crowd, men and women
dressed conservatively and milling quietly about as they waited for
a table. Good thing they weren’t standing in line. Malcolm doubted
they’d be sitting any time soon. “Good morning, gorgeous,” he said,
and pecked her cheek with a kiss.

Lacy giggled. “Good morning,
yourself.”

“
You ready for our
picnic?”

“
Sure am.” She tapped a
large paper bag sitting on the cashier’s counter. “Aunt Frannie
packed us a lunch and everything.”

Malcolm peeked into the bag, his nose
inundated with the warm moist scent of fried something. But Fran
fried a lot of things. “It smells good. What’s in it?”

“
Fried chicken and okra,
biscuits and cornbread, two slices of peach pie, some pig ears for
snacking on...” Lacy batted her eyelashes. “She wasn’t sure what
you’d want, so she included everything.”

“
I love your Aunt Frannie.”
Though he could do without the pig ears. “Think she’ll adopt
me?”

“
Probably. Aunt Frannie’s a
pushover when it comes to handsome men.”

That surprised him. “She
is?”

Lacy nodded, adding a mischievous wink.
“Must be where I get it from.”

Malcolm liked what he heard. Dodging a
man standing close to Lacy, he grabbed the bag and extended an
elbow for Lacy. “Shall we?”

She looped her arm through his and
said, “We shall!”

Malcolm had missed Lacy at Whiskey
Joe’s last night. He’d gone there in hope of running into her but
after two hours, abandoned the effort. Disappointed but not about
to give up, he called Nick to see if Delaney could get Lacy’s
number. No problem, he’d been told. Between Fran and Ashley, one of
them was bound to have Lacy’s contact information. Within ten
minutes he had Fran’s number and called Lacy first thing this
morning.

“
So where are we headed?”
Malcolm asked, opening the passenger door to his truck for her,
assisting her as she hopped in.

“
Zack’s Falls.”

“
Zack’s Falls?” he asked,
placing the bag of food in the seat behind her.

“
You said you wanted to go
to my favorite picnic place.”

Closing the door, he grinned at her
through the half-open window. “Yes, but I didn’t know we were going
swimming.”

“
You want to?” she asked
with a sudden eagerness.

He frowned. “No suit.”

“
No need,” she replied, a
naughty tickle in her gaze.

He laughed and said merrily, “I think
I’m in love.”

Climbing into the driver’s seat,
Malcolm drove the short distance to Ladd Springs. Nothing but blue
sky and balmy temps, it was a great day to be outside. Unlike
California in the summertime when the hills turned golden,
Tennessee was green and lush. Veritable forests lined the
roads—open roads, country roads—and flowers abounded. From a
proliferation of wildflowers street-side to the manicured borders
and window boxes around houses, colorful blooms were everywhere.
Branches suspended their leaves over the road creating a lush
canopy of shade as they drove. Here and there, mailboxes poked out
from private drives, most homes hidden from sight behind a wall of
trees. Tennessee was different than any other place Malcolm had
been. Trees and forests he’d seen, but driving these quiet country
roads filled him with a sense of peace and tranquility, completely
unlike driving through the jungle, where the senses fired to eight
cylinders on watch for natives and wildlife, hair pin curves that
weren’t announced. The rocky coastline of California offered the
crash and thunder of the Pacific Ocean where here the water flowed
rapid and rhythmic through rivers and creeks.

And then there were the springs. Nick
had given him the grand tour and it was amazing. Out of nowhere,
water would spurt from the ground and begin a stream that traveled
down the mountainside until its path became blocked, detoured or
re-routed. Delaney’s father had built a wishing well around a
spring off Ernie’s cabin. It was a plain wooden structure, used for
aesthetic purposes only, but the spring it concealed was a gift of
nature. More than drinking the spring water, Malcolm imagined
showering in it—heated, of course—but showering from water cleaner
than any city in the country, any land in the world.

Malcolm was content to simply drive
around these parts. No doubt, something his guests would enjoy as
well. But today wasn’t for scenic drives. Today was for outdoor
hiking, a vigorous jaunt to Zack’s falls, a part of Ladd property
he had yet to tour. He gazed over at his passenger, the beautiful
brunette staring out the window as though she were mired in
thought. He hoped it was all good.

Lacy broke the silence. “You don’t have
a wife you’re hiding somewhere, do you?’

“
A wife?” Startled, he
reached over the center console and patted her arm. “Not on your
life.”

She looked at him queerly. “You don’t
want a wife?”

The comment caught him on the chin. Did
she want to become one? “Well, I’m not against the idea per se,” he
slid out noncommittally. Actually came close once, but the woman
turned out to be a manipulative liar. She’d been conning him the
whole time, only interested in his money. After he caught her
making plans to buy a condo in Colorado—one he knew nothing
about—the deal was off. Investment opportunity or no, a married
couple was supposed to discuss these things ahead of time. Now,
Nick Harris was about the closest thing he had to a wife. Malcolm
chuckled. And not a very pretty one.

“
Good,” Lacy retorted, as
though the issue were settled. “We can go swimming,
then.”

Amused by her logic, Malcolm asked, “So
tell me, Ms. Owens, when do you plan on returning to
Atlanta?”

Her exuberance dimmed.
“Why?”

“
I want to know how long
I’ll have the pleasure of your company.” She smiled at the reply,
but it was a joy that didn’t seem to penetrate completely. “Is
there a problem? You sort of dodged my question at the
diner.”

“
No.” Lacy pressed the
button to fully lower her window. “It’s such a beautiful day out,
isn’t it?”